


The Road (not) Taken

by jaesfilms



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Drag Races, Drifting, Friendship, Inspired by The Fast and the Furious, M/M, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Street Racing, Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29291547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaesfilms/pseuds/jaesfilms
Summary: "Lucas is totally, absolutely, and undeniably screwed."or where Lucas has always known what path he'll take in life. He's always been so sure of the road in front of him that he's never imagined that anything would change. That is until he's thrown into the complex and fast-paced world of street racing and underground affairs. Into the world that surrounds Mark Lee. Stuck in between right and wrong it's now up to Lucas to decide which path he's going to take.
Relationships: Mark Lee/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Kudos: 7
Collections: In Another Life





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> written for prompt LM17 for lumark in another life: season 1  
> based off of The Fast and the Furious (2001)
> 
> a big thank you to s for helping me edit and letting me rant about my ideas for this entire fic :)
> 
> to the prompter, i hope i've done the prompt justice thus far. i cannot explain how excited i was to immerse myself in a world filled with high speeds, sarcasm, and adrenaline.
> 
> disclaimer: the fast and furious universe/story does not belong to me.
> 
> a quick warning:  
> there will be some depictions of blood, injury, and violence at some point in this fic so be mindful of that. 
> 
> sorry for any mistakes i got lazy halfway through editing lols :)  
> i hope you all enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it.

It’s an early, quiet Friday morning, no later than six in the morning. The sun was finally starting to peek over the horizon. It launches its bright rays of golden light through the quiet, abandoned streets of the city of Los Angeles. The sun’s rays made the famous Hollywood sign glimmer and sparkle in a way that was mesmerizing to the human eye. At least that's what Lucas thinks to himself as he sits on the hood of his car, carefully taking one last drag of the cigarette that rests loosely between his fingers.

It was unusual how empty the streets were, especially it being a Friday morning. Normally at this hour, people would be making their way to work, kids would be getting ready for school and littering the streets. Then the streets would start to fill with expensive SUVs and sports cars that people really owned as a means to brag.

Finishing his cigarette, Lucas effortlessly slides off the hood of his now neon green Mitsubishi Eclipse before tossing the remains to the ground and squishing it under his boot.

He carefully pats the hood of the car before taking a moment to admire Ten's paint job. The Eclipse was a bright fluorescent lime green with several swirls of black and blue—which resembled brush strokes—that circled the side of the car, reaching just until the front wheels before the bold swirls traveled to the hood of the car. From where Lucas stands, the sun seems to catch the car at the perfect angle, making the hints of chrome within the paint sparkle. He'd have to remind himself to thank Ten the next time he sees him for managing to find chrome paint in such a unique colour and at a suspiciously low price too.

He playfully taps out a slow beat on the hood of the car before glancing down at his watch, snapping out of his thoughts when he sees how the long hand is slowly ticking towards the seven, meaning he had gotten lost in the morning scenery and is now ten minutes late (at least). 

He swiftly opens the driver's side door, sliding inside before rummaging around in the center console in search of his pack of cigarettes. He has to admit it was a very bad habit, not to mention costly but he just never really cared enough to stop. God, he could already hear Ten's voice spewing sarcastic comments and scolding him as if he were sitting right beside him.

_"I can't believe you put such toxic things in your body! Remember your body is a temple and you're to treat it as such!"_

Yeah. His body...a temple. Lucas can't help but laugh.

_"One of these days you're going to drop dead because of those things."_

Smiling to himself, Lucas sticks his keys in the ignition before grabbing a spare lighter that was hidden away in the depths of his worn jacket pocket and lighting his third cigarette of the morning. As he twists the key the engine roars to life, sending chills down his spine. 

_That never got old._

He's only had the car for a few months but couldn’t help but feel as if it had somewhat become a part of him; the gasoline that flowed from the gas tank towards the engine was not that different than the very blood that circulated his body and the gear lever, a mere extension of his hand.

Before Lucas has the chance to even switch gears, his phone starts to ring. He reaches his hand over to the passenger's seat where his phone is, before picking it up, accepting the call, and pressing the phone between his ear and shoulder, holding it in place. He did not even bother looking at the caller ID because he knew it would be Ten. Only two people would be calling him at this hour: and that would be Kun or Ten. 

Kun was a workaholic and getting him to step away from his desk for even a minute was always a challenge. Plus he'd only call Lucas if it were an emergency, and seeing that the world was not on the brink of ending it had to be Ten. The other was most likely calling to yell at him for being late, ask him to get him another coffee, or scold him for all his dimwitted life choices. There was _no_ in-between.

Ten’s a very interesting individual, to say the least. He’s a very vibrant and bubbly person with an insanely unique personality that makes him stand out from everyone else. The way he carried himself screams confident and professional, and Lucas wouldn’t be shocked if some of their coworkers cowered in his presence.

However, his appearance was extremely misleading, at least in Lucas' opinion. Ten always dresses in top brands and high-quality suits and makes sure his hair was slicked back or perfectly styled. Despite his intimidating appearance and aura, Ten’s a very humble, down to earth and caring person. He always makes sure Lucas has eaten or slept and that he felt comfortable with his workload, making sure he wouldn't turn into a second version of Kun. He would always get donuts and coffee for the office and make sure everyone smiled at least once throughout the day. On their lunch breaks, he would sit outside on a bench in the middle of the house's lush garden and watch the bees and butterflies as they flew from flower to flower. Ten always has his best intentions at heart and tries his best to guide Lucas in the right direction. He always seems to know when Lucas was up to no good like he has some crazy sixth sense when it comes to the younger boy. Kun always would joke around and say that Ten must've been a psychic in his past life and his skills transferred over to this life.

If that was the case which if Lucas was being honest, it wasn't even possible. It would definitely explain a lot of the quirks that made up Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul. There was no doubt that Ten is his very own person and that no one would ever be comparable to him.

Without missing a beat, Ten's voice booms from the other line, "You better just be taking a very long time to park that car of yours." he says, thick sarcasm dripping off of every word.

"That car? THAT CAR? Ten, you literally helped do the remodeling not to mention the entire paint job and you have the audacity to say _'that car'_. Wow." Lucas gasps, switching gears and pulling out of the empty parking lot he had been parked at for over the last hour.

"Whatever you car junky, answer my question." Ten sighs into the receiver, his tone a clear indicator that he’s very unimpressed.

"But you haven't asked me anything." Lucas replies innocently, before quickly blurting out "but yeah, you know me! Aha, I'm taking my sweet time. You know how serious it is parking between other cars. I can't go messing up your paint job and what a shame it would be if I were to fuck up the car." Lucas laughs hoping that Ten was in one of his better moods this morning.

"How far out are you?" Ten asks quietly. Lucas is about thirty to forty minutes away from the gated community where their current center of communications is located, but he wasn't too worried because it’s straight highway for a majority of the drive.

"Ten minutes, possibly less but twenty minutes max," he says with a confident smile, not that Ten could see it, but he hopes that the playful tone of his voice relays that message for him.

"I'll try to stall for you, but there are important people here today so I don't know how well that's going to work. Kun's about to lose his mind, and everyone's running around like ants so I'd get here as quick as you can if I were you." Ten sighs and Lucas can just picture him running a hand through his perfect hair, messing it up like he normally does whenever he's stressed out. Sometimes Lucas felt bad for expecting Ten to cover his absences, but he knows the older cares too much for him to let him get into any sort of trouble.

"Hey, Ten."

"Yeah?" Ten's voice was layered with hints of confusion as Lucas grabbed his attention from the other line. "Did you know that I love you?" A laugh sounds from the receiver. Ten must have found it comical how serious Lucas' voice had turned and the random proclamation of love that followed.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Ten chuckles, his voice already sounding lighter than before, "just get me a coffee from that really cute cafe near the house and all is forgiven," he states before Lucas hears a yell from the other line and Ten's clear voice comes back and adds, "get Kun something too, preferably sweet!"

"Aye, aye captain!" Lucas laughs, hearing Ten mutter something under his breath, just quiet enough that the phone didn't pick up what he says but Lucas was sure it was something along the lines of a 'fuck off'. "Bye-bye Tennie!" Lucas sings as Ten lets out a long sigh and an abrupt shut up before hanging up.

Tossing his phone back onto the passenger's seat, Lucas moves his now free hand to the steering wheel before bringing the almost burnt out cigarette to his lips, trying to pry one last drag before it becomes too small to do so.

He speeds through the empty city streets towards the freeway. As he drives, Lucas can’t help but take in the morning's beauty. It was silent, excluding the repetitive caws and chirps coming from the birds that were spread out along the telephone wires, and the low humming coming from his car's engine. While Lucas had been on the phone with ten, the sun had climbed much higher in the sky. It now resembles a huge bright ball of fire instead of the small beacon-like figure that it did earlier.

He continues down the road for another quarter-mile, windows down, music blasting until a red light pops into view, forcing him to slow down. Gently pressing on his brakes, the car's speed begins to decline along with the wind that was flowing through the front windows. Pulling up to the empty intersection, Lucas thinks of rolling right through but chooses to take a moment to toss his cigarette bud out the window before glancing in his rearview mirror, just in time to see the first car he’d met all morning barrelling towards him.

Lucas turns to look out the window at the lane beside him, eyes filled with curiosity as the other car slides up beside his. It's a small, sleek black honda s2000 with vibrant swirls of reds and oranges that clashed together. The bright spiral of colors is hypnotizing, it had to be one of the most mesmerizing and intricate paint jobs Lucas has ever seen—Ten would absolutely love it. As Lucas focuses on the colors that were spread along the side of the car beside him, the driver's window rolls down and Lucas' gaze meets that of the driver. He's young, probably Lucas' age or younger, he has a curly mop of brown hair and sharp cheekbones. Their eyes meet before the boy's eyes divert to Lucas' bright green car, slowly giving it a once over.

After studying the bright car beside him the boy's gaze returns to Lucas, who has been sitting quietly, and sends him a knowing smirk as he revs his engine. Lucas couldn't help but laugh at how the younger boy was basically saying—betting—that whatever was under his shiny black hood was enough to beat Lucas in a little drag race.

Lucas smiles at the boy, sending him a little nod before letting out a small chuckle and turning to face the set of lights in front of him once more, both hands gripping the leather steering wheel tightly.

It's been a while since Lucas has raced anyone as his drives normally consist of him speeding down the open highway, windows down, and music loud without a care in the world. He loves the thrill of it all, driving freely with no rules or speed limits to follow, just him and the open road. Lucas hasn't been a part of the racing world for long, still somewhat new to the whole idea of racing, bets, and knowing when to use the nitrous oxide that sits patiently in the depths of his car's hood. Despite his lack of knowledge when it comes to racing cars, Lucas is a fanatic. He had grown up watching his father do repairs on the neighborhood cars in their run-down side garage and knows the inside of cars better than his own anatomy.

He sometimes wonders why he hadn't gone into an occupation surrounding cars or racing; they were fascinating and there’s always some new advancement in their technology or the chemicals used to reach unspoken speeds. However, for the longest time, he had wanted to be a detective, chase down the sterotypical bad guys and do things for the greater good. Make the world a better place for those around him. 

He picked himself up and worked his ass off to get to where he is now. He’s determined to stick to it until hopefully one day he'd be sitting in the FBI. That was another reason he liked speeding down open highways; the thoughts that would cloud his mind would slip away as the number on his speedometer increased. The perfect ratio. In those moments, it’s just him and the road.

Sometimes his driving could be considered reckless but what was driving without a little bit of fun? Kun never understood that and vowed that he would never get in a car if Lucas is driving. Who could blame him? He'd ask Ten, but Ten wasn't much of a racer or into cars at all really; he just liked making them look pretty. Lucas likes to blame his job for his lack of exciting friends or friends in general, but those thoughts get overthrown with the realization that he chose this pathway. Plus, he was actually quite fond of Kun and Ten. He wouldn't trade them for anything.

Kun and Ten were the closest thing Lucas had to a family. They were the only reason he's been able to stay on track and hasn't been fired for insubordination or reckless endangerment. Without them, he would've been way too stubborn and would have quit his job out of spite after one minor inconvenience—although Ten has supported most of his immature decisions. They were the little angel and devil that metaphorically rested on his shoulders.

Lucas revs his engine in return, hoping the loud sound spooks the younger boy, sending every last ounce of confidence with him, but the boy doesn't flinch once again sending him a small smirk.

This was going to be interesting for sure, but Lucas is confident that he was going to leave him in the dust.

Eyes dead set on the lights ahead, patiently waiting for the red to flick to green, Lucas revs his engine once more, this time a more aggressive sound roared from the engine as his hands gripped the hot leather of his steering wheel.

_3_

_2_

_1_

The light flicks to green.

Lucas slams his foot on the gas pedal, sending it straight to the floor, switching gears as he speeds away from the small intersection, the boy in the lane beside him, right on his tail. He can feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins as the wind blows through the windows sending his hair flying.

Oh, how he loved the feeling of the wind on his skin and how his heart pounded furiously against his ribcage.

He turns to send the boy a smile, he is still ahead but only by a hair. The boy quickly returned his smile, his entire face lighting up as his gummy smile that mirrored Lucas'. They remain side by side, together they speed down the highway until the boy's car slows down as he changes lanes preparing to exit the highway. The boy sends Lucas one last nod and a cheeky smile before exiting and speeding out of sight. Lucas smiles to himself as he continues to speed down the highway, his speedometer slowly climbing, pushing 260, and showing no sign of slowing down.

━━━━━━━━━━━

Speeding through residential areas was not as satisfying as the open highway, wild animals are known for appearing out of thin air, and oblivious pedestrians recklessly stepping out into the middle of the street without batting an eye. However, the blur of houses were always enjoyable to look at as Lucas speeds through the subdivisions.

He had almost forgotten that Ten had asked him to get coffee along his way, causing him to almost miss the street that led to the small cafe that Ten always talks about. He recalls Ten saying something about one of his old friends owning the store, but he can't remember if Ten had actually said that or if he was just imagining it.

As he makes a last-minute turn down a somewhat secretive road, he smiles at the thought of walking in late with a handful of coffee and donuts. Man, that would piss off a lot of his co-workers, but their expressions always make Lucas laugh. He had thought about buying coffee for the whole office a few times, but there are a few people that he doesn't get along with who would definitely ruin the whole act. Plus Lucas would actually have money to be able to do that. However, the thought crosses his mind again this morning; maybe everyone wouldn't be as harsh if he walked in with a bribe rather than empty-handed. Then, if what Ten had told him on the phone was true, Kun would be losing his mind and under a colossal amount of stress so, it might be better if he just got there as fast as he could.

The small cafe is adorable; there are no other words to describe it. It gives off a secretive feeling as no one would know there was a petite little gem down the relatively empty street. The exterior of the small building is a dark wood and there’s a small sign that hangs over the front of the door that says _"Welcome to Joy's Cafe!"_ with a small cartoon cat drawn on the side.

As soon as Lucas walks through the door he’s met with the sound of a bell ringing, signaling his arrival. The interior of the cafe’s bright and homey. There are lights hanging low from the ceiling and multiple plants spread out around the cafe, sitting in corners and windowsills. There’s also a small arrangement of flowers that sit in a vase on the front counter. There are several little tables littered around the cafe, a few stools placed in front of the counter, and even a few booths along the back wall.

Lucas approaches the counter, trying to get a better view of the menu—which was written on a large rectangular chalkboard that hangs from the wall, the list of beverages and sweets in colorful slanted yet loopy handwriting.

He’s alone in the cafe, no other customers and no sign of any employee behind the counter or even in the back. His only company is a small and fluffy white Persian that’s lazily spread out in front of the cafe’s cash register. Lucas isn’t complaining, he loves cats or has learned to love cats. Ten has two cats and is always trying to help stray cats find new homes and Lucas is always the very first person Ten comes to, sporting his best puppy dog eyes.

The fluffy cat did not startle at Lucas’ sudden presence. Lucas slowly takes his hands out of the pockets of his worn-down corduroy jacket and begins to pet the cat. Glancing back at the bright menu, he tries to think of what he needs to order. Ten only likes black coffee, no cream or sugar however, sometimes he puts a single ice cube in his coffee which Lucas has yet to figure out why. Another small quirk that made Ten even more interesting than the average human. It’s always hard trying to get Kun anything because his preferred order is a mystery. He rarely drinks caffeine and dislikes so many other drinks that Lucas is sure he knows more of what Kun doesn't like than what he does.

After a few moments, a girl with light brown hair appears from behind a door that Lucas can only assume leads to the cafe's back room. "Oh gosh! I'm so sorry, I was in the back and didn't hear the bell, we really need more staff. I hope I didn't make you wait too long." the girl blurts out as her eyes grow wide at the sight of Lucas standing at the counter.

"Oh no, don't worry about it. I haven't been here long. And besides, I've had company!" he smiles, motioning to the white cat who has now rolled onto it's back in hopes that Lucas would rub its belly.

"Well, it seems that you and Buttercup have been acquainted." the girl smiles in return before letting out a small laugh and fooling around with the register. "Anyways, what can i get for you today?" she asks, cocking her head to the side slightly, her dark brown eyes meeting Lucas'. He quickly orders a large black coffee for Ten and himself and a small hot chocolate for Kun. After jotting down his order the barista starts rummaging around and starts to make his drinks while Lucas stays at the counter playing with Buttercup. Since he’s still the only one in the quiet cafe he doesn’t bother moving, only the sounds of the coffee machine, buttercup's purrs, and the low tone of music playing from a speaker nearby could be heard.

As he gently strokes the fluffy white cat, Lucas watches the girl make Kun's hot chocolate, and as she moves around grabbing different things. He can't help but notice the subtle black ink that crept up behind her ear. Her light hair is loosely thrown into a messy bun, which gives him a clear view of the now noticeable tattoo: three small black dragons circulating around one another.

Lucas ends up staring for longer than he should have because the girl seems to feel his eyes on her, turning her head to send him a small smile. She swiftly gathers all the drinks and places them on a small cardboard tray and before pushing the tray across the counter. 

"How much do I owe you?" Lucas asks fumbling for his wallet but stops when the girl lifts a hand.

"It's on the house." she smiles, cheeks rising and eyes crinkling shut.

"No way. Come on, you don't need to do that. Let me pay." Lucas says, finally pulling his wallet out of one of his jacket pockets before opening it in search of a few bills.

"Nope, on the house. If you really want to pay that just means you'll have to come back again. It seems like Buttercup is going to miss you." she continues before slowly pushing the tray of hot drinks closer to Lucas.

"Well then, I guess that means I'll have to come back soon," he says with a big smile on his face before extending his hand towards the pretty barista. "I'm Lucas."

"I'm Yeri." she says accepting his hand for a gentle shake.

"Well thank you, Yeri. Hopefully, I'll see you again soon?" he bids the barista goodbye before picking up the tray of drinks and walking out the door.

As Lucas walks out of the small cafe, the three coffees gently sitting on the tray in his hands, a familiar car catches his eye a few parking spots over. It’s the car he had raced not even twenty minutes ago. The sleek black exterior and swirls of red and orange were unmistakably identical and Lucas finds himself being pulled towards the car, curiosity flowing through his veins, replacing the adrenaline that had previously been there.

He makes his way towards the car, looking around in search of any signs of the driver nearby, but is met with nothing but a few birds waddling around the empty parking lot. Without any luck of locating the young driver he had encountered earlier, Lucas’ focus returns to the car in front of him, crouching down to fully admire the blended colors that engulfed the sides of the car.

"Hey!" a loud crisp voice calls out from behind Lucas, startling him and almost causing him to drop the tray of drinks onto the pavement below. He quickly stands up and turns towards the voice, almost coming face to face with a familiar young boy with a messy mop of brown curls.

"You weren't thinking of stealing my car, were you?" he says slyly, a bright smile on his face as he raises his eyebrows in amusement at the shocked expression on Lucas' face.

"No no. I was just admiring your ride." Lucas stutters, not wanting to seem as if he was up to something and had tried to interfere with the others' car. Lots of things can happen when expensive cars are left unsupervised. 

Lucas can’t help but think of how the young boy in front of him reminds him of an energetic child. He prances around and can’t seem to stay still for more than a few seconds. He soon comes and stands right beside Lucas as they look at the boy's parked car. Lucas can feel the energy radiating off the younger and he couldn't stop the amused smile that finds its way onto his face. 

"Isn't the paint job insane? I had one of my friends, Donghyuck, do it. He's so fucking talented." the younger begins to ramble as Lucas stands silently nodding along, still somewhat dumbstruck at how young the other boy seems.

Lucas has always considered himself an excitable and sometimes reckless person. His childhood was filled with fun and running through the neighborhood at odd hours of the night and spending time with his father while he hosted backyard barbecues for their neighbors. A majority of his memories from his childhood were bright and joyful, even the ones that ended with him in trouble. Growing up the way Lucas had was a blessing and he would never trade those precious moments with his father for anything in the world.

But now he’s found a new joy in pushing dangerous speeds on short sections of highway. Despite that, the younger boy that is standing beside him seems to radiate an excitement that Lucas has been absentmindedly chasing for the entirety of his youth, desperate for the feeling of hot adrenaline flying through his veins like wildfire. A feeling he could only find sitting behind the wheel and gas pedal pressed hard against the floor.

"Yeah, the paint job is pretty sick, the reds and oranges are absolutely insane! I never would have thought of that combo." Lucas smiles turning to the boy and sending him a smile that screamed genuine. He wasn't sure if the boy actually wanted his opinion or if he was searching for compliments. He couldn't read the younger's intentions and was still a bit shocked by the boy's overpowering presence.

"I have a friend that would absolutely love this car, even though he doesn't race. He just likes pretty colors." Lucas continues thinking back to when he had asked Ten to remodel his car and how excited the other had gotten when Lucas said he could paint it whatever color he wanted.

"I bet he and Donghyuck would get along great, although he does have a very strong personality." the boy says, turning to look at Lucas who then says, "I think they'd get along great."

The two stand in silence for a few moments, nothing other than the sound of the wind blowing through them. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence but Lucas still felt antsy.

"You really gave me a run for my money out there this morning. I didn't expect you to be someone who raced let alone someone that fast. Most people in the area just have flashy cars to show off and have no clue how to actually drive them. However, unlike them you're actually a pretty good driver." the younger says as he turns around to look at the green car across the parking lot.

"Thank you?" Lucas laughs, confused on whether to take the backhanded comment as a compliment or not. "No problem," the boy says, as he pats Lucas's shoulder before continuing, "but I have to say, I'm curious. Who are you? I haven't seen a bright neon car at any races recently so i'm assuming you're new to the area?" the boy asks, cocking his head to the side and raising an eyebrow in anticipation.

"Yeah, you could say that." Lucas returns, he couldn't come out and say the real reason he was there because of the confidentiality terms that came with his job. Sometimes he loved having a secretive job however there were moments where he wishes he could yell from the rooftops about his true identity and the stupid confidential information that came along with the job.

"Well, in that case, I'm Yangyang," the younger boy says, extending out a hand for Lucas to shake. "You should at least have one friend so you don't feel alone. It is a big city after all."

"Thanks, man. I'm Lucas," he says, taking Yangyang's hand and giving it a brief shake. The boy's smile grew wider than Lucas even thought possible before letting go and biding Lucas goodbye and starting to walk towards his car. He opens the door when Lucas yells out from a few feet away.

"I'm totally in love with your car Yang!"

Yangyang lets out a loud cackle before doing a dramatic bow and saying "Why thank you very much, she's my pride and joy." his hand resting on the opened door.

"I can tell." Lucas laughs at the boy's antics before calling out, "see you around I guess?"

Yangyang sends him a thumbs up before sliding into his car. Lucas turns and starts to walk towards his own car, drinks in hand. Halfway across the parking lot, Yangyang pulls his car up beside Lucas—startling him once again—with a mischievous smile on his face.

"If you happen to be interested in a rematch you should come down to the city tonight. Me and a few people are getting together to have a little fun." Yangyang says to Lucas as he extends an arm out the window and places a small piece of paper in Lucas' free hand.

"You should come and see if you can beat me again but, this time with more competition." Yangyang winks at Lucas. "Who knows if you're lucky, Yeri might even show up." he says motioning towards the cafe.

"I'll think about it," Lucas says before stuffing the small piece of paper in his worn jacket pocket. Yeri? The barista in the cafe he met moments ago races too?

"Alright, well I hope to see you there." Yangyang says, his car engine beginning to roar.

"Yeah, see you around Yangster." Lucas says in a playful tone, gently patting the top of Yangyang's car as he shifts gears. "Please never say that ever again." Yangyang groans before sticking his head back out the window.

"My bad dude." Lucas lets out a laugh as he makes his way to his car opening the door as the sleek black car leaves the parking lot loudly.

Street racing huh, Lucas has never been openly invited to an underground event, let alone knew anyone who openly admitted to participating in them. The racing world was very complex and intricate but in some ways, it was as if it didn't exist at all. Yet, Lucas was just given an in and man did it feel like he was just received a key into one of the biggest secrets in Hollywood.

━━━━━━━━━━━

Lucas speeds through the gated community, once again pushing inappropriate speeds for the suburban roads. He still didn't understand why the FBI had chosen to work out of a house in the middle of upper Hollywood but who was he to ask questions. He was just some wannabe detective who had to make his way through the ranks starting as an LAPD police officer.

The neighborhood is quiet and calm, there’s barely any traffic in the early hours of the morning. The distance between houses continues to expand the further he drives and the house seems to get bigger and bigger as he speeds by.

As he rounds one last corner a grand house comes into view, he can only see about half of it due to the large shrubs that were planted around the perimeter. He pulls into the driveway, stopping at the large gate before pulling a key card out of the center console and swiping it to open the gate. As soon as the gate opens he quickly drives up behind Kun's big SUV before hopping out and making his way to the front door.

The house is extravagant and he wonders why they wasted so much money renting it out because there was no way they got access to the house for free, they may be the LAPD but they didn’t have _that_ much authority. 

The house is a nice calming beige with big windows and a large wooden front door. The outdoor landscape was big enough to be considered a public garden. There were shrubs around the front of the house that were trimmed in multiple different shapes, some cubes and others circular. There were multiple flowerbeds littered around the grounds creating a colorful and lush environment. And the perfect place to take breaks. No wonder Ten loved to come and sit in the garden. 

Upon opening the front door, Lucas tries to mentally prepare himself for the shitshow that could be waiting for him on the other side of the door. He’d most likely end up getting scolded for his tardiness, possibly even punished but he was hopeful. Hopeful that his small gesture of bringing coffee for his two favourite co-workers would have appeared sincere and show whoever Ten had warned him about that he was a nice person. 

However, from the phone call he had with Ten not even thirty minutes ago, he wonders who could have Kun all riled up and nervous and what they were doing with the LAPD. He had no idea what he was walking into but god he hopes that Ten's stalling has paid off.

Instead of taking his time and overthinking more than he already had Lucas quickly opened the front door. Instantly he’s met with a wave of noise. There were telephones ringing, people talking in hushed tones and shouting at one another from across the room and the small buzz of machines whirring. He desperately scans the room for Ten and Kun, hoping to find them quickly and that his arrival will go unnoticed.

Luckily for Lucas, his eyes fall on Kun's honey-yellow hair on the other side of the room by the photocopier. He wastes no time making his way to the other side of the room, navigating through a sea of people with the tray of drinks balanced in his hands. A majority of the people in the open space were rushing back on forth from desks to machines all looking quite stressed. This did nothing to help calm Lucas' nerves as he continued towards Kun.

Continuing to make his way through the storm of people, he finally sees Ten, who is sitting atop Kun's desk. His jet black hair is a vast contrast in comparison to Kun's lighter hair. Almost as if he sensed Lucas' arrival, Ten turns and spots Lucas walking towards him, not close enough to say anything so he just sends one of his award-winning Ten smiles.

Finally reaching the two men, Lucas places the tray of drinks down on the desk before making a small gesture and letting out a cute “TA-DA!”. Still a little unsure as to what was happening Lucas eases up once he sees Kun smile as he picks up his hot chocolate, taking a small sip.

“Sorry I’m late but there was an insane amount of traffic this morning and I really wanted to treat you guys to coffee this morning.” Lucas lies straight through his teeth while sporting the most innocent face he could muster.

Kun arches an eyebrow before leaning forward and whispering, “Ten told me you were daydreaming again, no need to lie.” quickly resting a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. Lucas only responds with a smile before Ten is leaning in close enough that Lucas can feel his hot breath against his neck, “Suck up.” he says before pinching Lucas’ ear. Lucas barely has any time to react before Kun smacks Ten across the back of the head.

“Hey! What was that for?” Ten cries out, rubbing the back of his head with a scowl on his face. Kun looks like he wants to give Ten a long lecture about how unprofessional hitting Lucas was but before he has a chance their small gathering is interrupted by a strong voice.

“How nice of you to join us this morning Mr. Wong.” the voice booms, coming from behind Lucas. Silence falls over the room, everyone freezing in place as Lucas turns around to meet the owner of the voice. Once he’s fully turned around he’s met with a very tall and buff man. The man stands at the center of the room in a nice fitting suit that screams authority. His hair is slicked back with what Lucas could only guess was a handful of gel and he has a very stern look on his face. 

Unsure of how to respond to the man in front of him, Lucas quickly blurts out, “Sorry I’m late sir.” the atmosphere of the room had completely changed as everyone was curious of what would arise in the two’s conversation. Lucas can feel the nervousness radiating off of Kun and Ten as they sit behind him. 

After a few moments of silence that felt as if they took years to pass, the man in front of Lucas breaks into a small grin, completely changing his entire appearance. “No problem at all. But please call me Johnny, I feel like we’ll be on a first-name basis sooner than later.'' The man laughs, his face lighting up and the nerves seem to evaporate from Lucas’ body after seeing how gentle the man in front of him now seemed. “But I have to say, your late arrival has put us behind schedule,'' Johnny says glancing down at the silver watch on his wrist.

“I apologize for the inconvenience. Please don’t let me take up any more of your time.” Lucas answers, now feeling guilty for having spent the majority of his morning daydreaming and chatting with his newfound friend instead of focusing on the time. The room slowly returns back to normal, comfortable noise once again starts up as his colleagues realize there wasn’t anything dramatic unfolding before them.

Johnny briefly nods before beckoning for the three men to follow him towards another room in the house. They enter the dining room which has been turned into a makeshift conference room. There’s a grand table with a multitude of chairs sitting around it. Several folders were spread out all over the table and there’s a whiteboard on one of the walls. 

As the three settle into their chairs Johnny starts to roam around the room before beginning to talk. “So the reason why I’m here today is because there’s a new case that I need your help with.” he begins, looking from Lucas to Ten with serious eyes before continuing. “You see in the past few weeks there have been several reports of hijackings. Several truckers throughout Los Angeles have reported that three or four unmarked cars have surrounded their trucks and stolen cargo before speeding off. No license plates, facial descriptions. Nothing that could possibly help us identify who these people are.” Johnny explains while Ten and Kun nod along, jotting down a few notes while Lucas finds himself sliding further back in his chair.

“Have the truck drivers given any information about the car’s model and color? That should be easy enough to remember and could help with the identification process.'' Lucas asks, voice low and small. 

“Yes, that’s really the only information we _do_ have. Based on the overlapping reports from the truckers; the hijackers are all driving modified, blacked-out-fifth-gen honda civics and are very skilled at what they do. With the matching reports, we can easily piece together that all of these heists are done by the same people.'' Johnny sighs as he finally slides into a chair opposite of Ten.

“Do you have any suspicions on who it might be?” Kun asks after he finishes jotting down the information on a small piece of paper.

“From the information we’ve received, we have reasons to believe that these people are familiar with the racing world and might even be connected to someone we’ve been after for a long time but haven’t had enough evidence to apprehend.” Johnny finishes before standing up again and leaning over the table to cross out areas where the truckers had reported the hijackings on a map that had been spread out across the middle of the table.

“And who would that be?” Lucas questions, sitting up in his chair, curiosity sparking in his chest. He leans forward in anticipation as if Johnny was about to whisper a secret into his ear.

“Mark Lee.”

Mark Lee isn’t a name that Lucas is familiar with but Ten and Kun seemed to know exactly who Johnny was talking about as they both let out a knowing sigh after hearing the name leave Johnny’s mouth. 

“I’m sorry but who's that?” Lucas asks, leaning forward one again. This ‘Mark Lee’ must be someone interesting if his name warranted that sort of response from Ten and Kun.

“Mark Lee is known as the king of the racing world or at least that’s what most people call him these days. He’s vastly known for street racing, underground fighting and has escaped the grasps of law enforcement several times. We’ve tried to get him on possession of narcotics, illegal automobile racing, and underground fighting but he is sneaky and always ends up slipping right through our fingers.'' Johnny shamefully explains before reaching across the table to grab hold of an almost overflowing folder.

“This is his file and I want you to read it, reread it and memorize it until you know every single thing that makes Mark Lee well, Mark Lee. Learn about his past. Learn how he thinks and what’s important to him. I want you to know this file like the back of your hand by Monday.”

“Wait. Why Monday?” Lucas challenges.

“I need you to know everything by next week because you’re going undercover. You’re going undercover Wong. Qian and Lee are going to be your right-hand men, your connection to the station and by extension, me.'' Johnny explains motioning at the three men sitting in front of him.

“All three of you are going to need to know everything about this man, especially you Wong. I want you to know everything about him, know him better than he knows himself. Know how he thinks, what his motives are, and how to tear his world up from the inside.” Johnny spews now looking directly at Lucas with stone-cold eyes.

“Wait! Me?” Lucas asks dumbstruck, confused as to why they wanted an inexperienced cop, basically a rookie to go undercover on a high-risk case.

“Yes, you.” Johnny replies, confused at Lucas’ outburst.

“Why me? Aren’t there other officers in the department that would be a better fit for this?” Lucas says, sliding back into his chair again, sinking lower than he had before.

“You’re going undercover because you’re one of the only officers we have that already has experience in the world of illegal racing and underground affairs.'' Johnny begins and Lucas opens his mouth to interject but is shushed by Johnny's raised hand.

“Yes, I had a background check done on all of you. You should have expected that.” he sighs. “But I don't care that what you do outside of here is illegal, at least for the time being because you can waltz in uninvited and it won’t raise any red flags. You can easily fit in and go unnoticed unlike any of our other officers. It’s our best play. We don’t want anyone knowing that we’re trying to dig stuff up again.” Johnny says, eyes softening slightly as he returns to his seat sending Lucas an encouraging smile.

Lucas wants to laugh. They really are choosing to put him undercover. He’s young and reckless. He’s the perfect person for this but he can’t help but feel something bubbling in the pit of his stomach. An awful feeling starting to brew. He was the obvious choice. Their easiest way into the untouchable underworld. He could help them achieve their greatest desires.

“You’re a good officer Wong. You have potential and it’s time that you had a chance to prove yourself, and if this case works in your favour it could very well secure you a spot in the bureau someday.” Johnny adds snapping Lucas back to reality. They really were using his hopes and dreams to persuade him into taking this case and he hates to admit it but it was working. 

_Mark Lee._

What a mysterious person. What an intriguing case and god, did Lucas want to get his hands on that file. 

“So what do you want me to do? Spy? Feed you information?” 

“Exactly! I want you to form connections. Get close to Lee if possible. Find out whether or not he’s behind these heists and try and get any information that we can use against him. And when you do, I want you to bring him down along with his racing world. Do you understand?” Johnny says harshly, in a tone so serious it makes Lucas gulp and hold his breath. He stays quiet for a while, truly trying to process what Johnny is asking him to do before he decides to speak again. 

It’s as if Johnny had read him in minutes, pieced together all of Lucas’ worries, questions and dreams before Lucas could even find words to express them. He slowly turns to his right, stealing a glance at Ten and Kun who were already looking at him, small encouraging smiles on their faces. They both send him a swift nod signaling they were in and that they were waiting for Lucas to make his decision. 

This case could very well be the highlight of his career. That is if he succeeded. He'll get to work with his two dearest friends. He would be a fool to turn down an offer like this.

“Now, I’ll give you the file to read over and you let me know whether you’re up for it or not okay? Just remember this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, we’ve never had these set of cards fall into our hands before and it would be a shame if we missed out on this chance.” Johnny said, finally handing the file in question to Lucas before leaning back into his chair and bringing his hands together. “I need to know your decision by Monday and then we can fill you in on the smaller details of the case.”

“Okay.” was all Lucas can manage to respond with. He leans back into his chair unable to form any other words due to how fast his mind was moving, hands coming up to massage his temples.

“Alright! Now I won't keep you any longer. See you in three days.” Johnny finishes clapping his hands together before gesturing that the three were now free to leave. Lucas takes a moment before rising from his chair, grabbing hold of the overflowing file then bidding Johnny goodbye and following Ten and Kun back towards their desks. 

They walk towards Kun’s desk in silence, slowly returning to where they were positioned before. Lucas slumps into Kun’s chair letting the file fall onto the desk with a loud plop. Soon this file will be all he thinks about. He’ll be spending the next few days analyzing, studying, and memorizing everything written on the pages inside. The information on the papers and reports inside will simply float around in his head, leaving no space for anything else to occupy his thoughts. The pictures and scribbles will constantly rest behind his eyelids.

Soon all Lucas will know is Mark Lee. He’ll know Mark Lee as if they had known one another their entire lives. He'll learn his life story, his weaknesses and strengths, take a deep dive into the man’s head and learn how he thinks. He’ll have to learn every little thing that makes up the persona that is Mark Lee. 

“You okay?” Kun asks as he slides onto his desk placing a gentle hand on Lucas’ shoulder in an attempt to comfort the younger. 

“I have to admit I’m still a bit shocked at this whole situation. Still can’t believe they chose me if I'm being honest.” Lucas sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“You deserve this kiddo. You’re one of the best officers I know and with the amount of racing you do, I know you’ll fit in just fine.” Kun says, sending Lucas a big smile. 

“Thanks, Kun,” he says sheepishly. He slowly opens up the file and looks at the mountain of papers that were stacked inside. “How am I supposed to memorize this all by Monday? It’s impossible.” 

“Nothing is impossible cas!” Ten says taking a sip of his coffee before skipping off to his own desk. Lucas looks up a Kun with an amused smile.

“It’s not as bad as it looks, I promise. But you better get started or you’ll be here all night.” Kun says patting Lucas on the shoulder before getting up to follow Ten. “Don’t stay here too late tonight, you have three days before you have to make a decision.” Kun reminds him.

“I think I have somewhere to be tonight actually,” Lucas says before pulling the small piece of paper Yangyang had placed in his hand earlier that morning from his pocket. “So don’t worry too much. I won't work too hard. At least not as hard as you do.” he laughs before sticking his tongue out at Kun, who scoffs in return.

Maybe he’ll just have to take Yangyang up on his offer.

━━━━━━━━━━━

Lucas steps out of the house just after midnight. He’s one of the last people to leave. He rubs the back of his neck as he searches for his keys in the depths of his jean pocket. The neighbourhood is quiet except for the quiet chirps of the crickets. His car is one of four left in the long driveway, its green paint quite flamboyant compared to the dull tones of the SUVs parked beside it.

He quickly slips into the front seat of his car, pulling the small piece of paper out of his pocket once again and unfolding it. There are directions and a street name scribbled in what Lucas could only assume was Yangyang’s scratchy handwriting. He folds the paper up and puts it in the center console before turning his car on. The loud sound of 90’s hip hop suddenly booms through the small speakers of his car, sending vibrations through the entire vehicle. 

Once he pulls out of the long driveway, letting the large gate shut behind him he makes his way towards the city, following the brief directions on the small piece of paper. He speeds towards the highway, wondering exactly where he was going to end up and if Yangyang was actually going to be there. Would he find himself in some unknown part of the city?

He slams on the gas pedal as soon as he enters the highway, speeding down the empty lanes, windows down and headlights shining.

Not even five minutes later, a set of headlights get caught in the rearview mirror, blinding Lucas for a few moments before the car switches lanes and inches closer and closer to the left side of Lucas’ Eclipse. Taking his eyes off the road for a split second to look out his window, Lucas sees the familiar swirls of orange and red of Yangyang’s s2000 as the black car pulls up beside Lucas. 

The window rolls down and Lucas can see Yangyang sticking out his tongue before he accelerates and passes Lucas in one swift movement. Lucas let out a laugh and pressed down on the gas pedal, engine roaring as he sped up to match the younger boy's speed. However, this time Yangyang wasn't alone. A jumble of light appears in Lucas’ mirrors as three more cars quickly approach his rear, the first two speed up until they’re on either side of him.

To his left, there is a brilliant cerulean blue Integra, and to his right, a flaming red MX-7. Lucas watches as the two cars begin to speed up to pass him. His hand grips the wheel, eyes dead set on Yangyang’s low glowing tail lights in front of him as he shifts gears and jolts forward, passing both of the cars beside him. He lets out a joyous laugh before accelerating in hopes of reaching Yangyang.

However, Lucas hears a low rumble before he manages to catch up to Yangyang, and soon a black GT-R is sailing past him and the other cars in one big blur. Lucas almost didn’t see it as it flew by and disappeared from Lucas’ view.

_Damn, that car was fast._

Lucas speeds up, this time passing Yangyang in the process. He turns and sticks his middle finger at the younger driver before laughing and turning back towards the road. But after passing the front of Yangyang’s car Lucas watches as the multiple sets of lights that had been shining in his mirror disappear, causing him to look out the side windows just to see the group of cars speeding down an off-ramp into the night.

Lucas is quickly hit with the thought of turning around and following them but quickly shakes that thought away. He remembers the small directions written on the small piece of paper and continues towards the heart of the city, hoping that Yangyang’s directions would lead him to where he wanted to go. Where he needed to be.

When he finally reaches the edge of the city he’s met with silent and dark streets. There’s no sign of anyone walking around or groups of cars gathering anywhere. Nothing seems to move except for Lucas as his car slowly crawls through the abandoned roads. It was unusually quiet for a Friday night; it was late but not too late for some traffic.

He glances at the lone piece of paper in the center console before slowly looking up and down streets as his speed starts to pick up. He almost turns around and heads home but he catches sight of a purple car speeding across the street about half a mile in front of him.

He steps on the gas as fast as he can, speeding after the car he had just seen. He turned left down a side street and sped up to try and catch sight of the car’s tail lights hoping to follow the car and stumbling upon the street Yangyang had given him. 

He catches sight of the purple car as it slows and makes another turn. As he chases after it more headlights pop up behind him, a wave of excitement washes over him. He turns down the same street as the purple car and almost slams on the breaks. The street was filled with bright lights and lines and lines of cars. There’s also an overwhelming amount of people crowding the street, walking around, and staring at the parked cars while others are in cars; either sitting inside them or elbows deep in the car’s hood.

Lucas slowly starts to drive down the street, trying to avoid hitting anything or anyone. He pulls into an empty spot next to a bright blue skyline before turning his car off and sitting inside for a few minutes. He knew there were a lot of people who participated in street racing but he never expected to see this many cars piled into one sidestreet. 

Once he’s nestled safely in between two cars Lucas shifts his car into park. The loud roar of engines bounces off of the side of the buildings making his head snap up. Four cars pull into the middle of the street, slowing down and inching through the crowd of people before parking across from Lucas. The newcomers are Yangyang and the other cars he had met and passed on the highway.

Lucas remains in his car as he watches the new arrivals park their cars. His hands were still gripping the leather steering wheel nervously. He sits and watches as each driver steps out of their colourful cars. First, two tall boys emerge from the Integra, both sporting matching smiles as they meet each other in the front of the car. One slides onto the hood of the car, his floppy hair falling into his eyes while the other laughs at something he said.

Next, he spots Yangyang’s sleek black S2000 parked next to the bright red Mazda RX-7 that seems to belong to a boy with honey-like skin and dark purple hair. The boy with the purple hair bounds towards Yangyang hands held up in the air as he animatedly begins to talk to the other boy. Lucas can't help but smile at the two’s antics.

His eyes then land on the black Nissan GTR whose driver has yet to step out of their car and it has Lucas sitting on the edge of his seat. Who could be behind the wheel of the car that sped past him on the highway? Lucas slowly opens his door and steps out, leaning against the side of his car as he inspects the closed-off street. Returning his gaze on the mysterious black car, Lucas tries not to stare directly at it but he almost jumps in excitement when one of the doors opens. A boy with dark black hair and broad shoulders steps out of the passenger side of the car with a stern look on his face. As he closes his door, the driver’s side door opens and Lucas is vibrating in anticipation. The driver finally gets out of the car, revealing a boy with jet black hair that was slightly curled and a pearly white smile. At the sight of the driver’s smile the boy who had shotgunned smiles back, face lighting up in the process. 

The driver’s arms were littered with tattoos and the ink even went as far as creeping up the boy’s neck. Lucas could feel the chills travel down his spine as soon as the smile left the boy’s face, a cold expression replacing it, making him appear extremely intimidating.

It is him. Lucas would know him anywhere. After spending hours rummaging through his file and staring at mugshots and pictures, he'd be able to spot Mark Lee in any crowd. And here he is standing right in front of Lucas. Mark Lee, king of the racing world. It's him without a doubt and Lucas finds himself staring in awe. Mark Lee lived up to all of Lucas’ expectations, surpasses them even. He's mysterious and the way he held himself was nothing short of cocky but the confidence is eye-catching. He crosses his arms as he approaches the group of boys and joins them in inspecting the cars in the street.

Lucas continues to stare at the group of boys and finds himself quickly turning away when his eyes meet with Mark’s. However, he slowly returns his previous gaze and begins looking at the mysterious racer again. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off him. Mark Lee was intriguing. There was something about him that drew Lucas in, making it hard to keep his eyes elsewhere.

This was going to be much harder than Lucas had originally thought, Mark Lee was not what he originally expected. He seems more complex and intricate than anything writing in his file had told Lucas. Lucas finds himself wanting to get to know the other, not because it’s what he was told to do but because there was something about the boy that fascinated him. 

Lucas is totally, absolutely, and undeniably screwed.


	2. chapter two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas finally comes face to face with Mark Lee.

The sound of engines roaring fills the air as Lucas stands up against the side of his car. The smell of burning rubber also was very apparent but nobody seems to be affected by it. There are crowds of people huddled together surrounding different cars, peeking at what was hidden under the shiny hoods. They were inspecting the competition Lucas realizes. It’s probably what he _should_ be doing but he couldn’t seem to step away from his car, his only real sense of security. 

He stands and watches as the group of newcomers gather in one big group and inspect the cars around them. The six boys were all dressed in dark clothes, their heads held high as if they were somehow better than everyone else on the street. Lucas watches as they lean in and whisper in each other's ears or lean forward while trying to point out drivers or cars within the crowd.

Lucas can't seem to take his eyes off the boy with the tattoos trailing up his arms. From where he was standing Mark Lee seems like any normal guy. In fact, he looks like any normal racer. He has a flashy car, he’s wearing a dark muscle tee, and has the stance of someone who is insanely confident in themselves. His appearance is disarming, he seems just like any of the other racers that were storming the small city streets, and for a split second Lucas sees him as such. But soon the descriptions and warnings from Johnny and Lee's file cloud his mind.

_Manipulative._

_Aggressive._

_Explosive._

_Clever yet daring._

_Very skilled at what he does and can be very dangerous._

_“He’s got nitric acid in his blood and a car engine as a brain. Do not turn your back on him.”_

However, even with the alarms blaring in his conscience Lucas still feels himself being drawn to the other racer. His aura was intriguing and Lucas wants to get close to him out of curiosity more than because he has been told to.

It’s only when the group of boys start to move that he finally catches Yangyang's eye. He watches in amusement as the boy's expression slowly changes from a blank face to one with a bright cheery smile. Lucas watches as the boy leans over and whispers something into the ear of the boy he was next to before he bounds through the crowd of people, towards Lucas. As he makes his way through the crowd Lucas spots two of the boys trailing behind him.

"You made it!” Yangyang practically has to yell into Lucas' ear, the mixture of engines and music making it hard to hear anything below a shout. 

"You thought I wouldn't?" Lucas gasps dramatically.

"I had my doubts. I wasn’t sure if you could read or not. But you’re here now so it doesn’t matter. Ready to get your ass handed to you?” Yangyang yells

"Well just so you know I can in fact read. And we’ll just have to let the cars decide. But, you are so going to lose. Lucas says, shoving Yangyang's shoulder playfully.  
As the two were talking, the two boys that had been following Yangyang had finally reached them and were now standing behind Yangyang as he talks animatedly with his hands.

One didn’t look a day over 18 even though he towers over Yangyang and the other boy. His hair almost falls into his eyes as he smiles at Yangyang’s excited gestures. The other boy had deep purple hair, golden skin and was sporting a matching smile.

“This is Donghyuck, my friend I was telling you about earlier! He did the paint job on my car.” Yangyang says as he stops mid-sentence to point at the boy with purple hair that was now resting his head on Yangyang’s shoulder. “Donghyuck, this is Lucas.”

Lucas extends a hand for Donghyuck to shake before saying, “that paint job is amazing.”

Donghyuck smiles, taking Lucas’ hand giving it a brief shake. “Why thank you. I know, I painted it.” Yangyang’s elbow suddenly found a place in Donghyuck’s side and the boy let out a small groan before sending Yangyang a hard glare.

“Don’t mind him, he’s Donghyuck.” Yangyang smiles before turning towards the other boy, who had been standing behind them in silence.

“And this is Jisung.” the boy smiles as Yangyang says his name, his curly hair falling into his eyes. “He’s Mark’s baby brother,” Yangyang continues before turning and pointing at the tattooed driver that was leaning against his hood on the other side of the street.

“Ah. Well, I’m Lucas,” he says before crossing his arms.

As soon as he introduced himself, Donghyuck’s face lit up instantly. “Oh! So you’re who Yangyang was so fascinated with this morning. He couldn’t shut up about you-”

“Okay! We came here to race so let’s race!” Yangyang interrupts Donghyuck, clapping his hands together to draw the attention of the people surrounding them.

Yangyang cups his hands to yell over at the boys who were sitting on the hood of Mark’s car, while Donghyuck beckons them over with the flick of his hand. The four boys join the crowd that starts to form around Yangyang and Lucas tries to stay as close to the boy as he can.

The crowd breaks apart and Marks walks towards Yangyang with a sly grin on his face, “Ready for a race?” he says as he places a hand on the boy's shoulder. Once Yangyang nods a confirmation Mark turns and looks at the small group of people that have gathered around Lucas’ car. Mark’s sharp voice slices through the ongoing conversations, halting them as he begins stating his terms. 

“Alright. One race. A quarter-mile and a $2000 buy-in. Winner takes all. Who’s in?” he smiles before leaning up against the blue skyline that was parked next to Lucas’ car. 

Yangyang pipes up from beside Lucas and not soon after a girl with auburn hair emerges from the crowd saying she’ll race. Mark searches the crowd for a third and final racer, staring at people with excited eyes. His gaze falls on one of the boys he came with and he points a stiff finger at him. “Jaemin, are you racing tonight?” The boy shakes his head no. “Well, that’s no fun.” Mark pouts and turns toward Lucas. The pout on his face quickly disappearing as his eyes lock with Lucas’.

Lucas stares right back at Mark before digging for a small piece of paper that he had put in his pocket. “Now, I don’t have $2000 dollars but I do have the pink slip to my car.” Lucas smiles holding up the small piece of paper before pointing at the bright green car Mark is now standing next to. 

He sees multiple emotions wash over Mark's features. He sees shock, excitement and disbelief all within the span of a few seconds before the boy sends him a cheeky grin. Lucas feels Yangyang’s hot breath on his neck before the boy even begins to whisper, “Are you _that_ stupid? You’re really going to bet your car?” Lucas nods slightly before Yangyang’s voice grows louder, “That’s at least an 80 thousand dollar car dude. Are you nuts?”

“Absolutely bonkers.” 

Yangyang just scoffs and leans back in to whisper his complaints in Lucas’ ear as if he’s Lucas’ voice of reason. But before he could manage to convince Lucas that this was a really bad idea, Mark had made his way towards Lucas and was now standing right in front of him.

“I have to admit. You have some balls waltzing in here and betting on a race with your car. Not something I normally see.” Mark says, the expression on his face unreadable but the fire in his eyes tells Lucas everything. He’s intrigued.

“What’s your name?”

“Huang Lucas.”Lucas replies, hoping his words came out confidently. The slight change in last names was something Ten and Kun had thought of one day when they were talking about giving Lucas an alias in case he ever found himself in a situation like this.

“Alright Huang, you can race but I hope we won’t have any problems when I take that pretty car of yours.” Mark says quietly leaning in until he’s only centimeters from Lucas’ face.

All Lucas can do is gulp out a small, “No.” before Mark is backing up and clapping his hands together. 

“Well everyone. We have ourselves a race.”

━━━━━━━━━━━

Lucas sits comfortably in the leather driver's seat of his car, he’s currently lined up with three other cars, Yangyang and Mark's cars almost blend into one another's, both dark and almost invisible in this night's lighting. The third car happens to be the purple car Lucas had followed earlier, the driver a young girl with long auburn hair and sparkling eyes.

Lucas can hear the excited murmurs of the crowd as the for cars pull up to the make-shift starting line. Everyone had pushed back to make enough room for the far cars to line up side by side. Other races had taken their cars and moved to block off any streets that unwanted cars could enter from. 

Lucas revs his engine as he looks out his window to send Yangyang a smile before mouthing “You’re going down.” and the boy just laughs.

The crowd's cheers grow louder as a girl walks in front of the cars. Lucas finally feels the nervousness sink in as he grasps the wheel harshly, eyes dead set on the girl in front of him. The next few seconds feel like an eternity. Lucas is frozen in time, stuck in the moment right before the flag swings down. He doesn’t dare to blink as if he’ll miss the cue if they close for more than a split second. 

The flag drops and Lucas is shifting gears and slamming his foot on the gas pedal, tires screeching and the hot smell of burning rubber fills his nostrils.

Engines roar as the four cars speed away from the crowd of people, creating gusts of wind as they pass them by.

Lucas speeds down the empty street, almost neck and neck with Yangyang as the two go back and forth trying to overtake the other.

It’s almost over in a blink of an eye. 

The push and pull of positions as he reaches the front of Yangyang’s car and proceeds to pass the other boy, gas pedal pushed hard against the floor, granting him enough speed to pull ahead of the boy’s car. The black Charger that Mark’s driving is already several feet in front of him yet Lucas still had the urge to go faster to catch him. Whether that was even possible at the time being was unknown but the adrenaline pumping through his blood and the determination in his eyes held onto that urge with no thoughts of letting go.

His speedometer grazes past 300 once Lucas fully passes the s2000 and inches closer and closer to the car ahead. Lucas could feel his car begin to shake at the high speed but kept on pushing, not willing to lose that easily.

The quarter-mile mark is crawling closer every passing second and Lucas digs deep for one last jolt of speed to try and at least tie with the driver in front of him but he only manages to reach the bumper of the black Charger before his engine begins to sputter and he quickly loses speed. The gap between his green Eclipse and the black Charger grows bigger as Mark shows no signs of slowing down until he’s passed the marker and with Yangyang on his tail, Lucas knows there’s no catching up. No matter how fast he was there was no way he’d be able to take first place with his faulty engine and the short distance that remained.

He crosses the finish line with Yangyang right by his side. The two slow down to a stop and Lucas finally can breathe. He lets out a deep breath that he didn’t realize he had been holding and steps out his car. There’s grey smoke seeping out from under his hood and even though he should be feeling shattered all Lucas could do was smile. He almost had caught up to Mark Lee. He could have won. Maybe if his car was a bit lighter or if his engine had a higher hp. Despite that he had been close, _so close._

Lucas sports a small smile as he slams the driver’s door shut and approaches the group of people that had gathered around Mark and now Yangyang. Mark sees him before he gets all the way over to the group and lets out a whistle when he sees the state of the green Eclipse behind him. 

“What are you so giddy about? Your car is about to fall apart. I’m going to have to go out and make sure you didn’t pop any screws in the middle of the road.” Mark snickers as he walks closer to Lucas.

Lucas can’t hide the smile on his face, even though he really should. “I almost had you,” he grins while pointing a finger right at Mark. 

“You almost had me? Almost had _me_?” Mark exclaims a shocked smile on his face. He lets out a loud laugh, “you barely reached my bumper. You never had me and you sure as hell never had your car, which happens to be mine now.” Lucas almost opens his mouth to protest but then feels around for the small slip of paper in his pocket. That’s right, he just lost his car.

Mark turns away, still snickering as he gestures at the people behind him. “ A racer knows. Any _real_ racer knows that it doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or ten miles. Winning is winning and you would know that if you were as good of a racer as you think are.” Mark’s words stab Lucas right in the chest, burning his skin as the boy just walks closer to him with an amused smirk on his lips, taunting him.

Lucas can feel the many eyes focusing on him and mark as they just stare at each other, like fucking predators, circling one another, waiting for someone to pounce. They stood in silence for a few moments waiting for someone to make the next comment. Mark’s mouth opens but before he can say any words someone’s voice sounds from the walkie-talkie Mark had been holding in his hands. 

"We got cops! Cops!" a deep, frantic voice bellows from the small device.

Not even seconds after the words were said, organized chaos breaks out. Drivers are running in all directions trying to get to their cars, frantically speeding off in hopes to be long gone by the time the sirens reach the street. Lucas stands frozen for a moment, having not processed the words that had sent the street into a fast flurry. Technically he did not have to flee from the cops but in order to maintain his new identity, it was best if he acted as if he was in trouble. It wasn't until Yangyang almost pushes his head through his car's window that Lucas snaps out of his trance, finally realizing what he has to do. He knows Yangyang is yelling but never actually heard what he says.

Lucas frantically falls into his car, placing the keys in the ignition and spinning his tires in an attempt to get out of the street as fast as possible. Hoping that the car will manage to get him out of the crowded street before it decides to die. He has to swerve around running people and try not to hit anyone as they quickly pull out into the middle of the street.

A flash of red and blue appear in his rearview mirror and he's stepping on the gas pedal, flying down the streets as several cruisers finally enter the secluded street. Cars are driving in every direction and there are twice as many cops blocking off exits and trapping cars up against the sides of the buildings. 

Lucas manages to swiftly swerve between other cars and cruisers until he finds an open exit, one of the side roads, and turns down it not wanting to stay on the street for another second. He lets out a deep breath but quickly turns his head to look out the back of his car when a new set of sirens sound and lights reflect in his mirrors.

Lucas steps on the gas pedal and speeds down the street. How comical would it be if he were to get pulled over right now? How would he explain that he’s actually an undercover officer and would they even believe him if he explained it?

Lucas starts turning down random side streets, picking at random in attempts to lose the one cruiser that’s following him. He turns right, left and then left again. He continues to go in small complicated circles, driving through hidden side streets and alleyways.

After making one more sharp right turn Lucas suddenly loses sight of the flash of red and blue in his rearview mirror, relief washing over him as he slows down momentarily. He starts accelerating again as soon as he hears the distant sound of sirens growing louder and sees a cruiser drive down the street in front of him.

He quickly pulls into yet another side street but skids to a stop when he almost hits a person who had been running right at him. Lucas squeezes his eyes shut, expecting a loud thud of a person colliding with the front of his car but no sound came. He slowly opens his eyes and is met with none other than Mark Lee himself, whose face was the perfect rendition of a 'deer caught in headlights'.

Glancing through the back windows at the approaching lights, Lucas beckons at him, signaling him to get into the car before he changes his mind, or worse the red and blue lights finally catch up with them.

Mark's expression switches from shocked to confused before finally he looks at Lucas with an understanding and grateful expression. He rounds the front of the car and opens the passenger door and rushes inside. Before he even has the chance to close the door Lucas is already slamming on the gas and flying down the small street.

Lucas catches the surprised look the other was giving him out of the corner of his eye. He disregards it, continuing to speed through the empty streets until he enters the main road once again. He had hoped that the street would've been empty by now and that the cops were occupied with the other cars that raced off, but there were cops in almost every direction. Everywhere Lucas looked there seemed to be at least two cruisers in his way.

"Hold on," Lucas mutters before shifting gears and swerving in between each of the cruisers and drifting around several officers who had stepped out of their cars. One of Mark's hands fly up to grab onto the handle just above the window for support as Lucas' driving throws him back and forth in his seat.

"You sure you're not a drifter." Mark huffs as soon as Lucas had cleared all the cruisers and continued to speed down the city street, deciding to turn down random streets until he’s sure they were no longer being followed.

"Very funny." He scoffs as he turns once more. He looks over at Mark out of the corner of his eye. The boy’s slumped down in his seat, a somber look on his face as he kept his gaze in the road ahead.

"Quick question. Why the fuck were you trying to _run_ from the cops when you have a perfectly functioning car? Are you stupid?” Lucas asks voice growing in volume after each sentence.

“No, I am _not_ stupid. I parked my car and got out and started walking because I thought if I slipped into an alley they would be dumb enough to continue looking for my car and not expect me to be walking down the street.” Mark snaps back.

“That is literally the dumbest idea I have ever heard.”

“Okay fucking einstein like you could come up with anything other than driving right at them.” Mark growls as he sinks lower into his seat. Lucas stays quiet after that. He couldn't think of anything to say so the two just sit in silence until Mark decides to speak up.

“You run from the cops a lot?” he asks from the passenger’s seat.

Lucas turns his head to look at the dark-haired boy with a confused look on his face. “What?”

“It just seems like you’ve done this once or twice with the way you..” he pauses and does a small gesture of what looked like turning a steering wheel.

"No, no. I've never done that before surprisingly. Just enjoy the rush that comes along with the high speeds that's all."

"Ah, so you're an adrenaline junkie, Huang Lucas. I see.” Mark sighs before looking out the window. “Y’know despite Yangyang only meeting you this morning, I feel like I know way too much about you.”

“Oh really?” Lucas laughs.

“Yeah, he came to the house this morning with that big ol’ smile he only has when he’s really excited and said he raced some speed demon on the highway. It was amusing, I never thought he’d invite you here though.” Lucas just nods along as Mark continues talking.

“You’re not from around here are you?”the boy asks.

“Nope, I’m not just moved here a few weeks ago from a couple states over,” he says and Mark hums in agreement. Lucas feels the other’s eyes on him and readjusts his grip on the steering wheel and tries his hardest to keep his eyes on the road.

He finally gives in and glances over at the other boy and quickly gives him a once over. His hair has lost it’s original curl from the beginning of the night and his hair was now falling into his eyes as he stared at Lucas. His eyes look like dark black orbs, the only light in them the reflection of the street lights they drive by. His tattoos are not as noticeable in the dark car as they were earlier and Lucas finds himself wondering what kind of tattoos Mark Lee has. After feeling like he had stared long enough Lucas shifts his focus back on the road.

"Y'know out of all the people that could've ran into me in that alley you were at the very bottom of the list." Mark sighs as he props his head up against the window. "So thank you for not letting me get picked up by the cops."

Lucas sends Mark a small smile before interrupting the comforting silence, "So does that mean I can keep my car?"

Mark lets out a loud hearty laugh, "No way."

Lucas can't help but shrug and laugh along, "it was worth a shot." he smiles before picking up his speed, “Alright Mark Lee, where am I taking you?”

━━━━━━━━━━━

Lucas takes turn after turn, closely following Mark’s directions. He takes on the last turn before slowing down outside of a tall white townhouse. It wasn't what Lucas had been expecting, that's for sure. It was a relatively small house that happened to be stuck fairly snug between two other houses on the crowded neighborhood street. The house seems to be filled with people when Lucas pulls into the driveway. There’s music blaring and almost all the windows were either opened or illuminated by the lights inside.

Lucas parks his car next to a shiny orange Mazda. He turns and watches as Mark opens the door and steps out of the car, gently closing the door behind him. He leans down and rests his arms on the door, sticking his head through the open window.

"Hey, thanks again for picking me up back there," Mark says quietly as he sends Lucas a small smile.

"No problem. It was the least I could do y'know."

Mark just nods in response before bidding Lucas a short goodbye and turning to walk towards the front of his house. But before he makes it to the front step he turns back around and yells over the loud music that was coming from inside, "Hey Huang! Wanna come inside? We’ve got beer.”

Lucas ponders the ask for a moment before responding with a quick 'sure' and turning off his car. He takes his time getting out of his car and walking towards the front door. Mark had already gone inside not bothering to wait for Lucas.

Lucas peeks inside one of the front windows as he walks up the front steps, there seems to be a large number of people inside swaying along to the music with drinks in their hands.

When Lucas reaches the door it’s already open. He quietly walked into the house and was met with the reek of alcohol and marijuana. Mark stands a few feet in front of him, arms crossed as he leaned up against the wall.

"Welcome to mi casa." he says, throwing his hands up as he makes a big gesture. "Help yourself to anything, my treat." He smiles as he passes him an open beer.  
"Thanks," Lucas mutters as he looks around, eyes landing on Yangyang, who was sitting on the couch in the living room.

Lucas turns to look back at Mark just to see he was already halfway across the room, shoulders tensed and fists clenched. Lucas slowly trails behind him curious as to what the cause of the sudden change in his mood was. He didn’t seem angry during their drive, but now he looks like he could explode any minute. Once Lucas reaches the couch, he slyly sits down on the arm before turning his focus back onto Mark. His eyes follow Mark's piercing gaze and land on one of the boys he had seen earlier, sitting in a chair with a beer held loosely in his hand.

The boys on the couch beside Lucas notice Mark's sudden arrival and grow quiet, their conversation halting mid-sentence. The boys sit in silence as they, along with Lucas wait for whatever bomb is about to go off and by the way Mark's eyebrows are furrowed and how cold his gaze had turned, it wasn't going to be long before he blew up.  
Lucas then took his eyes off Mark for a split second to take in the appearance of the boy Mark is walking towards. He’s sitting comfortably in one of the few chairs in the room, a big smile on his face as he was still unaware of the storm that was quickly approaching him.

As soon as the boy spots Mark walking over to him, clearly distressed, he shoots up from where he was sitting and puts his drink down on the side table.

"Hey, Mark. Man, we were just about to go looking for you--" Before he could even finish his sentence, Mark's sharp voice is already piercing the room.  
"Where were you?" He practically shouts as he jabs his index finger into the boy's chest.

"Mark, there were cops everywhere. What did you expect us to do? What was I supposed to do? Get arrested?" the boy yells back, matching Mark's volume and aggression without caring what everyone else in the room would think.

"Is this yours?" Mark suddenly asks, picking up one of the drinks on the side table before staring down at the boy. The boy cocks his head in confusion before answering, "Yeah, that's my beer-" Mark picks up the drink and twists it in his hand for a moment before turning and throwing it across the room, a loud clang echoes through the room as it collides with the wall. One of the boys who have been sitting on the couch, Donghyuck, stands up and walks towards Mark, slowly extending an arm to rest on Mark's tense shoulders.

"Mark, are you alright?" the purple-haired boy asks.

"Am I alright? Am I alright!" Mark snaps turning towards the boy, venom dripping from his words. The boy quickly throws his hands up in surrender, voice rising in annoyance. "God, it was just a question. Calm down."

Lucas stands up after that, not quite sure if he wants to stay and see where this conversation was headed. But when he stands up he locks eyes with the boy haired boy Mark had just yelled. Upon seeing Lucas standing in the living room the boy turns back to Mark, disregarding the boy's anger as he clenches his jaw and demands,"Mark. What is he doing here?"

"Well Jaemin, believe it or not, some people aren't selfish like you and actually stop and think of other people. After you and everyone else in this goddamn house sped off, _he_ was the one that kept me out of handcuffs. That was no thanks to you. He didn't run away like a little coward." Mark replies through gritted teeth, anger still visibly bubbling through his veins.

"Mark! He has no right being here. You have no idea who he is, we just met him tonight! For all we know he could be a cop! And damn you just brought him into our house." Jaemin yells back, throwing his hand in Lucas's direction.

"First off this is _my_ house and Jaemin, there was a time when I didn't know you!"

"THAT WAS IN THE THIRD GRADE!"

Silence falls over the room, only the music can be heard as the two men stand face to face breathing heavily, a fire still visible in their eyes. Tension fills the eerily quiet room. No one dared to move or even speak until the two boys finished hashing out whatever was going on between them. The sound of someone running down the stairs catches Lucas’ attention along with Mark’s. 

“Mark, can you and Jaemin stop yelling, I'm trying to do my work,” Jisung groans as he rounds the corner. 

“I can’t hear myself think so whatever you guys are fighting about, get over it I’m sure it’s not that big of a deal.” Jisung explains before he returns to the bottom of the stairs, sending Lucas a small wave when he sees him sitting on the couch

"Hey, I think I've caused enough problems here I probably should go-" Lucas starts but Mark quickly shuts him down.

"No, you can stay. Jaemin, here was just being an ass and is going to get over his massive ego and leave the room right now." Mark states sending Jaemin one of the coldest glares Lucas had ever seen. The other opens his mouth in protest but shuts after a moment as if he had debated whether or not to say something snarky.

Jaemin throws his hands up in surrender before making his way towards the front of the house. When he passed Lucas, who was now standing, he sent him a cold stare. Lucas waited until Jaemin's back was turned before saying, “Hopefully, your big ass head fits through the doorway. Wouldn't want your ego getting bruised-”

It happens so fast that Lucas doesn’t realize he’s been punched in the face until moments later, when feels the grand ache in the side of his face and blood slowly starts to fall from his nose. Lucas presses his hand up against the bottom of his nose for a moment before pulling his hand away to see the crimson substance covering his fingers.

"Jaemin!" a small voice breaks through the tense room. Jisung had been standing at the bottom of the stairs talking to a friend, and he had watched the entire situation unfold, including Jaemin's fist colliding with Lucas' nose. The younger quickly walks over to where Lucas was leaning over, blood dripping through his fingers as his hand is pressed firmly against his nose.

"What is wrong with you?" Jisung yells before shoving Jaemin and grabbing a towel to give Lucas to press against his nose.

“Jisun-” Jamein starts but Jisung doesn’t want to hear any of his excuses, “Grow up Jaemin. Grow up.” the younger boy says before pulling Lucas towards the bathroom.

Jisung opens the bathroom door and flicks on the light, quickly beckoning for Lucas to lean over the sink, the hand towel he currently had pressed up against his nose had almost completely changed colours.

Jisung opens one of the covers and gives Lucas a new towel to press up against his bleeding nose with a pained look on his face.

“Sorry about Jaemin. He’s such a dick sometimes.” Jisung sighs as he rinses out the cloth before gently wiping under Lucas’ nose.

“Sometimes?” Lucas interjects, making Jisung burst out laughing. “Okay, you may have a point but he really isn’t that bad.” the younger explains quietly as Lucas hums along.

The two bask in the silence of the bathroom. The water running from the tap is the only thing that can be heard. It stays like this for a while until Jisung opens his mouth to speak, “Y’know I didn’t expect to see you here tonight but it seems that my brother has taken a special liking to you,” Jisung states before giving Lucas a third towel to press against his bruised nose.

“Is that so?” His laugh is muffled by the thick material pressed up against his face but Jisung still manages to hear him.

“Yeah, really. I just find it weird because my brother doesn’t like anybody. “Jisung sighs before looking at Lucas. “You’ve had a rough night my friend. You lost the race and you got punched by one of my brother’s friends.” 

“Yeah kinda sucks but that’s okay at least I got to keep my car.” Lucas takes the towel away from his face to smile at Jisung, making the younger laugh before he pushes the material back up against the other’s nose.

“Well, luckily for you I don’t think your nose is broken just bruised which isn’t surprising jaemin can’t punch to save his life.” Jisung murmurs as he looks at Lucas’ nose. “I’ll just grab a thing of frozen peas from the freezer for you and you’re good to go.”

“Thanks Jisung.”

“No problem at all but next time maybe don’t insult Jaemin’s ego. It’s a sensitive topic.” Lucas laughs before following Jisung out of the small bathroom.

Once Jisung got the bag of peas from the freezer and gave it to Lucas, they walk back into the living room and when they get there Mark is waving a hand in Lucas’ direction.

“Hey, Huang. You can keep your busted-ass car if you really want to. Just know you owe me a ten-second car now.” Mark laughs from the couch. Donghyuck lets out a small laugh before throwing a hand over his mouth and murmuring ‘oh shit.’

_Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading the first two chapters!!!  
> i hope you enjoyed them and hopefully, the next chapter will be out soon!!!

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed reading this mess of a first chapter :]]


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